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Observatory Operation Basics

Observatory Operation Basics. Thomas C. Smith, Director, Dark Ridge Observatory (http://www.darkridgeobservatory.org). DRO. The Observatory. Fundamentally the observatory is the collection of equipment and software necessary to perform astronomical observations and research.

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Observatory Operation Basics

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  1. Observatory Operation Basics Thomas C. Smith, Director, Dark Ridge Observatory (http://www.darkridgeobservatory.org)

  2. DRO The Observatory • Fundamentally the observatory is the collection of equipment and software necessary to perform astronomical observations and research. • In our case we are talking about the physical observatory building and dome, the telescope, the computer, the CCD camera, and software for system control and processing of image data.

  3. DRO The Observatory Dome • Operation of the observatory dome is a matter of opening the dome shutter and coordinating the position of the dome in azimuth to correspond to the telescope point. • Cuesta’s dome is electrically operated but manually position. • It is imperative that dome operation be conducted safely for both personnel and equipment protection.

  4. DRO The Telescope • The observatory telescope is a Meade 14” LX200GPS f/10 capable of go-to functions and object tracking. • Schmidt- Cassigrain design with a corrector plate figured to remove aberrations from the spherical primary mirror. • Focal length uncompressed is 3556 mm (3.56 meter)

  5. DRO The Computer • The computer is used as the system coordinator and enables the telescope and CCD camera to operate effectively through software. The computer controls the CCD camera operation and the movements of the telescope from within the planetarium software we are using. • Many auxiliary functions can be provided by the computer including the storage of the CCD images taken as well as utilizing peripheral devices such as network cards and serial, parallel or USB devices.

  6. DRO The CCD Camera • The CCD cameras used will be either the Santa Barbara Instruments Group (SBIG) ST-402 monochromatic imager, Starlight Express one-shot color imager or the Meade Lunar Planetary Imager (LPI). • All three imager models can be used as an auto-guiding imager but the ST-402 can not be used as both imager and auto-guider concurrently.

  7. DRO CCD Camera Photos Starlight Express SBIG ST-402 Meade LPI

  8. DRO The Software • For our purposes the software used in conjunction with the SBIG ST-402 CCD imager will be a suite from Software Bisque called TheSky6 and CCDSoft. • For the Starlight Express imager the software will be AstroArt. • For the Meade LPI Meade’s AutoStar Suite will be used.

  9. DRO The Image

  10. DRO The Science and Fun • With the advent of inexpensive and sensitive CCD cameras designed for astronomical work coupled with the power of small optical telescopes, the scientific community is enjoying a deluge of quality scientific data. • Astrophotography has gained a significant tool in the production of aesthetically pleasing and scientifically valuable images.

  11. DRO Dark Ridge Observatory

  12. DRO Dark Ridge Observatory

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